Alfa Romeo prepares for 2012 Mille Miglia

The Alfa Romeo Historic Motoring team has prepared a fitting tribute in 2012 for the Mille Miglia. What will be displayed are four official Museum vehicles: the 1500 SS and the 1750 GS (which are both pre-war) and the 1900 SS and the 2000 Sportiva (models from the 1950s). These had entered the Mille Miglia race between 1927 and 1957.

At this classic event, Alfa Romeo holds the record of 11 wins. The Mille Miglia 2012, which is scheduled on May 16-20, takes place in a year that’s filled with Alfa Romeo anniversaries. This is the year that celebrates the 50th birthday of the Giulia as well as the 40th for the Alfetta. This is the 80th anniversary of when the 8C scored its first win in the Mille Miglia. The year 1932 was when Alfa Romeo filled all the top 7 places. The champion at this race was an 8C 2300 helmed by Baconin Borzacchini and Amedeo Bignami as they got to the finish line in Brescia. A sister car and five more Alfa Romeos followed it.

Then there’s the 6C 1500 Super Sport of 1928 (Stabilimenti Farina bodywork), which is the first turismo model of the Jano era. The 1500 made its début in 1927 by winning at the Modena Circuit with the team of Enzo Ferrari-Giulio Ramponi. The next year, it took the first win of 11 at the Mille Miglia, with the skills of Giuseppe Campari and Giulio Ramponi. The 6C 1750 Gran Sport of 1930 (with a Zagato body) became nothing short of legendary at the Mille Miglia. In 1930, Tazio Nuvolari and Giovanni Battista Guidotti were the winners with a 1750. It was during this race that the driver from Mantua reached a record-breaking 100 km/h average speed for the whole course.

This was very different from Achille Varzi (who drove an Alfa Romeo 1750). It hit its peak with an unforgettable overtaking manoeuvre with headlights off. The tribute will also show the 1956 1900 Super Sprint, a stylish coupé with a body of a Touring car associated with the 1900s, a prominent gran turismo in the 1950s, and found at the top of the Alfa Romeo lineup back then (which got a reputation as the "family saloon that wins races").

The 1900 SS participated in numerous Mille Miglia races. Privateers preferred it because it ensured an effective combination of performance and reliability. The 2000 Sportiva is the last to complete the Alfa Romeo Museum cars, an exclusive gran turismo sporting group with stunning and dynamic lines. Franco Scaglione designed the Sportiva. He had also designed the Giulietta Sprint and the 33 Stradale. The 2000 Sportiva is a derivative of the 1900, and had the sophistication of a rear De Dion axle, which was used on the Alfetta saloon after 20 years.